Foreign airlines at NAIA not affected by cyber outage

MANILA, Philippines — International carriers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have not been impacted by a global cyber outage that disrupted the computer systems of two local airlines on Friday afternoon, according to an advisory by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

As of Friday at 4 p.m., the MIAA said that foreign airlines at NAIA "remain unaffected" by the widespread system crashes. 

In separate statements, local flight carriers Cebu Pacific and AirAsia advised flyers that delays were possible after their systems were affected by a massive global tech outage that grounded flights and affected the operations in multiple industries across different countries, including the United States and Australia.

RELATED: Delays possible as tech outage affects Cebu Pacific, AirAsia

The MIAA confirmed in its advisory that it has monitored "system issues affecting operations of two local airlines at NAIA, which was attributed to a "cyber incident" involving CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity provider. 

According to the MIAA, CrowdStrike confirmed on Friday that it has identified widespread instances of "BSODs" (Blue Screen of Deaths) on Windows hosts, indicating system crashes on Microsoft's Windows operating system.

The issue has prompted the MIAA to deploy additional staff to manage extended queues at check-in counters of the country's main gateway. 

The MIAA will also provide so-called "malasakit kits" to affected passengers, according to its advisory.

MIAA General Manager Eric Jose Ines has "directed all terminal managers to closely monitor developments and offer necessary assistance as required" and ordered the medical division to respond promptly to possible medical emergencies, the MIAA advisory read. 

"For further updates and assistance, affected passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines companies," MIAA said.

A total of 42 international carriers operate flights at NAIA, as of November 2023, based on a The Philippine Star report.